


When The Stars Don't Align

by MurkyMuse



Series: Steel Hearts [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: F/M, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 07:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8437327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurkyMuse/pseuds/MurkyMuse
Summary: Once the threat of the meteor and Deoxys had passed, May decides to ask Steven to go with her to the Litleonid show. However, she gets an unpleasant surprise when she goes to his house.
Navigating heartbreak is never easy.
(Prequel of Project ∞. Best read in between chapters 6 and 7.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone has been wondering about May’s team, she has eight main pokemon (minus legendries): Blaziken, Sylveon, Altaria, Zangoose, Jellicent, Cosplay Pikachu, Castform, and Beldum. Cosplay Pikachu and Castform are mainly used in Contests and rarely in battle; Sylveon is both reliable in battle and often does Contests.

“Higher”, May whispered.

Despite the gusting air, Latias heard her and soared upward. They went up and up, as high as the Eon pokemon could manage. Icy chill clung to May as they brushed through the clouds.

The ocean stretched out in a wide carpet of blue-green. Dots that were cities and towns were scattered on the land and islands below. If she turned her head, she could even see Mt. Chimney in the distance with ash and smoke pluming from it.

The view of Hoenn was always lovely from this high up.

Latias made a happy trill before suddenly going into a nose dive. The sheer speed blurred May’s vision. She clung to the Eon pokemon and let out a laughing whoop that was lost to the rushing wind. They pulled out of the dive as the ground neared, Latias slowing just enough that May could safely jump off.

Once her feet were on solid ground, May waved. “Thanks, Latias!”

Latias let out another cheerful trill and then flew off.

Now alone with her thoughts, May took a moment to compose and encourage herself. They were just slips of paper but the tickets to the Litleonids show felt heavy in her pocket.

“If I can save the world twice”, she spoke aloud, “Then I can ask him on a date.”

May then set off before her nerves could fail her.

Unlike some of the other towns of Hoenn, the people of Mossdeep didn’t make a big deal out of her walking by. It was the perk of them being used to having a Champion around, she supposed. May quickly reached Steven’s house and knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

“I know the League is closed today.” May frowned. “Did he go rock hunting? He probably went rock hunting.”

Not wanting to go on a wild chase through all the caves in Hoenn, May decided to let herself in. Sure, the key was supposed to be in case of emergencies but she didn’t think Steven would mind her waiting inside.

May unlocked the door and walked in before immediately pausing. There was a pokeball and a letter sitting on the table. Curious, she picked up the letter.

_Dear May,_

_I have something in mind, so I will be away in training for some time. I do not expect to return to my home anytime soon. Which brings me to a request. I want you to take the Poké Ball that you should find on my desk. The Beldum inside is one of my favorite Pokémon, so I hope you’ll treat it like one of your own._

_Trusting we will meet again,_

_Steven Stone_

“Way to be vague, Steven…”

May read over the letter a second time. This time she caught the meaning in between the lines: Steven had left Hoenn with no plans for when he would return.

“…Stupid.”

Originally she hadn’t cared all the much about defeating gym leaders and collecting badges. She’d gone along with it because that seemed like what you were supposed to do and maybe because she wanted to prove something to her father. However, seriously taking on the Pokemon League hadn’t crossed her mind until she met Steven in Granite Cave.

Even though she hadn’t known he was the Champion at the time, May had recognized him as a strong trainer. A strong trainer that sincerely believed she could one day stand among the best. It was flattering; and, she found herself wanting to try to live up to that.

Then Steven kept showing up as she continued her journey, always being kind and helpful and having faith in her ability as a trainer. How could she not fall for him?

“So stupid.”  

The tickets to the Litleonids show now felt like they were burning a hole through her pocket. Water blurred her vision and dripped down onto the letter in her hands, smudging the ink. She set the letter back down and furiously rubbed the tears from her eyes.

“…I guess I’m asking Brendan to go with me after all.”

* * *

May supposed the meteor shower was pretty. Beside her, Brendan certainly seemed to be enjoying it. He kept ooh-ing and awe-ing and muttering about how cool it was.

May, however, had seen the view of the night sky from the Sky Pillar. She had even touched the edge of space. Compared to that, these shooting stars seemed so far away and so…underwhelming.

(She wondered if she would have felt that way if Steven were here. Knowing him, he’d rattle off facts about meteoroids. Even if she felt underwhelmed that would have at least made it more interesting.)

“It’s over already”, Brendan said, pulling her out of her thoughts, “Time sure flies when you’re having fun, huh.”

“Yeah…”

They left the Space Center and walked down to the beach in silence. Only the sound of the waves crashing on the shore filled the night. Just as May was about to release her Altaria, Brendan turned to her.

“I’d hoped since you asked me here…” His eyes looked as sad as she felt. “But I never stood a chance, did I?”

May froze as the implication slowly dawned on her.

“Oh….Um, I’m sorry. You’re a great friend but I don’t feel that way…”

“I figured…”  

They both stood there awkwardly, neither sure what to say. Finally Brendan let out a forced chuckle.

“…Dinner with both our parents is going to be awkward now, huh.”

May recalled her mom saying her and Brendan were going on a ‘romantic date’. She thought her mom had been joking but had she actually been trying to set them up? Suddenly May didn’t want to see her parents.

“Just…tell them something came up. Champion duties.”

May then released her Altaria and hopped on its back before Brendan could reply.

As they flew off into the night, she wondered if Steven had left to avoid a situation like this… To avoid having to turn down the silly girl with a silly crush.

But if that was the case, why did he give her a Beldum? He couldn’t have left his favorite pokemon to her as a gift without it meaning something, right?

* * *

May walked along the shore of the small sandbar that housed her secret base, waves lapping at her bare feet. She took a deep breath of the salty air as the midnight breeze played with her hair. Her Jellicent soaked in the waters just off the beach, a spot of pink among the navy blue.

Out in the distance, beneath the moonlight, Kyogre breeched the surface. It swam freely, carelessly, completely within its element. May smiled softly and waded out into the ocean. Kyogre, noticing her approach, swam over.

May placed a hand on Kyogre’s head. “I’m going to bed. Keep swimming, if you want.”

Kyogre stared at her with its yellow eyes for a long breath. Then it nudged her side, where her pokeballs were kept. May got Kyogre’s message.

“Alright.”

* * *

The next afternoon found May soaking up the warmth of the sun as she arrived at the Battle Resort. She’d barely made it past the island’s Pokemon Center when a familiar voice called out to her. May turned to see Wally running. He stopped a few feet away from her and caught his breath before grinning brightly.

“It’s been a while!” Wally then glanced over her shoulder. “Is that a Beldum?”

May reached for the steel pokemon hovering next to her and patted it. “Yeah, it was a gift…”

Wally seemed to sense it was a touchy subject and had the grace not pursue the topic.

“How have you been?” May asked instead, forcing her voice into a more chipper tone.

“Good.” He nodded enthusiastically. “A lot of people here at the Resort have been helping me train!”

“I’m sure you and your pokemon have grown much stronger”, May replied with upmost sincerity. Wally was always improving by leaps and bounds. It was only a matter of time until she would be defending her title as Champion against him.

“Do you want to battle…?” He asked. “I’d like to test how much I’ve improved.”

May smiled. “Okay.”

They found an open area and began their battle. As May expected, Wally and his pokemon had grown immensely since the last time they’d face each other. However, both her and her team had grown too. One by one, Wally’s pokemon fell.

“I’m still not strong enough”, Wally commented after recalling his Gallade.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You just gave me the toughest trainer battle I’ve had since becoming Champion.”

Wally beamed at the compliment.

“Champion?” Another trainer asked as she walked up. She studied May a moment before grinning. “You are the Champion! Guys! Champion May is here!”

Just like that May had people lining up for a chance to battle her.

(Her team was tenacious. They didn’t lose once.)    

* * *

_Rayquaza cried out as the brilliant light of its mega evolution shattered. Its serpentine body twisted and flailed in an attempt to stay aloft._

_It was too late though. They were unable to escape the constraints of gravity._

_As they began to fall, May got the perfect view of the world below. It was just a ball. A beautiful ball of blue cloaked in white with splashes of greens and red-browns. It almost seemed like she could cradle it in her hands._

_But how could she hold the world when she was plummeting from the stars?_

* * *

May jolted awake, breath ragged and hands shaking. It took her a few moments to figure out where she was: the room she’d rented at the Battle Resort hotel.

A ribbon brushed against her arm. May glanced down to see the big blue eyes of Sylveon peering at her from the foot of the bed. She then noticed her Beldum hovering by her side, confused and worried. Even her Zangoose was stirring from its chosen sleeping spot on the couch.

“I’m fine”, she whispered, petting Sylveon’s ribbon that still clung to her. “Sorry to wake everyone.”

She laid back down and rolled over. It was hours before she fell back to sleep. 

* * *

The Sky Pillar stretched toward the heavens like a hand reaching for the stars.

May’s finger unconsciously brushed the pokeball that Rayquaza currently resided in as the dream from a few days before flashed through her mind.

Finally she entered the tower. On a moonless night like tonight, it was too dark to easily traverse the crumbling ruins. May called out her Castform to light her way with Flash.

They slowly climbed to the very summit of the tower. Thousands and millions of stars stretched above, close yet still so far away.

May grabbed Rayquaza’s pokeball and released the super-ancient pokemon. They two stared at each other in a mirror of their battle.

“I thought you might want to fly around for a while?”

Rayquaza seemed to nod before suddenly taking off into the night sky. May watched as it vanished from sight.

“You seem confident Rayquaza will come back.”

May turned around. “Zinnia.”

“Hey there, May.” Zinnia came to stand beside May, the expression on her face hard to read. “You’ve been looking up at the stars a lot lately.”

“…I can’t get how the world looked like from up there out of my head”, May admitted quietly.

Zinnia frowned. “I suppose that’s something I wouldn’t understand…”

* * *

The doors of the Pokemon League were pushed open. May then waltzed inside, not unlike royalty entering their castle. The on-duty staff greeted her warmly, while a few trainers that had just made it through Victory Road stared at her in a mix of awe and determination.

“Good luck”, she said with a smile and a wink, “I look forward to seeing if you make it to me.”

“R-right!” One of the trainers managed to stutter out.

May continued on and tried not to think about how just a few months ago she’d been walking down these same halls side-by-side with Steven. He’d given her the grand behind the scenes tour, showing her all the nooks and crannies of the building and grounds. They’d spent many late nights, early mornings, and lazy afternoons together as he taught her the duties and details that came with the title of Champion.  

There was a reason she avoided Ever Grande when she could, and it wasn’t just because she didn’t like staying still for too long.

* * *

May drummed her fingertips against the conference table. “Not one of them made it past Sidney, huh.”

“Don’t sound so surprised about it”, Sidney replied, crossing his arms and scowling at her.

May and Phoebe giggled at that.

“That’s usually how it is”, Glacia said, “Few make it through Victory Road and of those even fewer have the skill to defeat the four of us in a row.”

May sighed, “I guess I was hoping for a tough battle.”

Not counting Deoxys, the last battle that she’d honestly thought she might lose was against Steven. (Why did everything always seem to go back to _him_?)

Drake snorted. “Don’t we all.”

* * *

May exited the department store, the bag in her hand containing a special shiny colored Swablu doll. As soon as she’d heard of the new exclusive version that would match her Altaria, she knew she had to get it.

With her shopping complete, May casually strolled through the streets of Lilycove with no particular destination in mind. The laidback atmosphere, the salty ocean breeze, and the lighthouse standing in the distance: being in Lilycove always felt so nostalgic.

It almost felt like coming home.

May was passing near the Contest Hall when a scene of déjà vu suddenly played out. There was a crowd and a tv crew gathered in front of the building, all their attention on the famous Contest Idol Lisia and her partner pokemon Ali.

She made the mistake of stopping at the edge of the crowd to listen. Lisia soon caught a glimpse of May, recognition flashing in her eyes. For a long moment, May thought she would once again be pulled into the limelight by Lisia. However, the Idol just continued on with the interview.

The interview eventually ended. May planned to sneak away before anyone else recognized her but Lisia waved and called out.

“May! What a surprise!”

There it was. All heads turned to her. Seeing as she couldn’t quietly slip away now, May stepped up to greet the Idol. Whispers of “that’s the Champion” drifted through the crowd.

“It’s been a while, Lisia.”

“It has. Let’s go talk inside?”

Once May nodded in agreement, Lisia winked and waved at the crowd before heading inside. May followed after with an amused smile tugging at her lips.

“I was wondering why you vanished from the Contest scene!” Lisia exclaimed the second they reached the privacy of the dressing room. “Then I find out that you not only became the new Champion but were the one to defeat Team Aqua and tame Kyogre!”

“Yeah, it got a little hectic”, May said in a great understatement, “I haven’t really had time to think about Contests.”

Lisia’s grin briefly fell but she quickly perked back up. “Well, would you be interested in trying Contests again?”

May considered it. The few contests she had taken part in had been thrilling in a way different from battling. There was a certain appeal of getting on stage with her pokemon and showing off how great they were.

“Yeah”, she answered, “It’ll be a fun change of pace.”

“Wonderful! A new chapter begins: Spectacular Re-Entrance To The World Of Contests!”      

* * *

May’s heart seemed to hammer in her ears, nearly drowning out the cheers of the crowd. A cheery smile lit her face as her cutely costumed Pikachu jumped up on her shoulder. Together they gave matching curtsies to their audience.

Soon the contestants were waiting in anticipation as the judges made their decision. May unconsciously held her breath when they began to announce the winner.

“Third Place: Tyler and Spearl!”  

“Second Place: May and Cospika!”

May grinned and scratched behind her Pikachu’s ears. Getting second place after going so long without entering any contests or barely even practicing wasn’t bad at all.

“And our First Place winner is: Mila and Mel!”

Next time, though, she was aiming for first.  

* * *

One she was changed back in her shorts and tank top, May rushed out of the dressing rooms.

Then immediately slammed into someone. The unexpected force knocked her back; and, only her quick reflexes kept her from landing embarrassingly on her butt.

“Sorry! Are you okay?”

May blinked up at the speaker. He was tall and green eyed and wearing a sharp black suit. Certainly no Steven Stone but May was suddenly questioning if she had a _thing_ for men in nice suits.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I should have been looking where I was going.”

He stared at her as pink dusted across his face.

“Oh, wow. You’re the Champion.  I just- I saw your performance just now. You were amazing.”

“Thank you”, she replied with a small smile.

He gulped and, from the determination flaring in his eyes, seemed to make up his mind about something.

“Um, would you like to get lunch? As an apology for me running into you that is?”

Oh.

May weighted her options. He was handsome and seemed nice. Despite her rush just moments ago, she didn’t actually have anywhere particular to be anytime soon. She honestly couldn’t think of any reason not to accept his offer.

“Sure.”

* * *

The date was…not exactly unpleasant but quickly became clear he was starstruck. He was on a date with May the rising Contest Star, May the Champion, and May the World Saving Hero. Not just… 

May.  

(She did not go on a second date with him.)

* * *

The front door of her parents’ house practically flew open the moment she landed in Littleroot.

“May, sweetie!” Her mom said and pulled her into a hug.

“Hey, mom”, May greeted, hugging back a moment before pulling away.

“How long will you be staying?”

A touch of guilt tugged on May but she didn’t let it show. “A few days. I…want to talk about something with you and dad when he gets home.”

“Alright…” Her mother’s smile faltered for a brief second. “Well, come on. I know you must be tired from Champion battles or Contests or whatever it is you’ve been doing lately. You’re so busy that I can barely keep track!”  

* * *

Later that evening, after a very long discussion, May sat hunched over her desk as she worked on carving a flute. Despite all the guides and getting help from an actual flute maker, she really had no idea what she was doing.

The door suddenly opened, causing May to jump. She turned to see her father standing in the doorway.

“Dad?”

“Dinner’s ready”, he said. Norman then noticed the mess on her desk. “…What’s that?”

“A poor attempt at a flute.”

Confusion crossed Norman’s face. “Can I ask why you’re attempting to carve a flute?”

May sighed. Why did her father pick now to get interested in what she was doing?

“…Latios and Latias are a pair. There are supposed to be two Eon Flutes but one was destroyed. I thought I could make a new one…”

And what, she thought, that it would magically bring Steven back?

May felt the sting of tears threatening to fall. It was frustrating! She was supposed to be past the point of crying over him. She pushed the feeling back because she refused to cry in front of her father.

“You’ll get it”, Norman said quietly, “You’ve always finished what you set your mind to do, no matter how impossible it seems.”

May snapped her head up, surprised by his words. She was happy to hear a compliment from him yet… It also left a feeling of confusion and bitterness in the back of her throat.  

“Come on. Dinner’s getting cold.”

* * *

It was a nice day on Route 103, sunny and warm but with a cool breeze. May sat near the pond with her legs curled under her. Her Castform was taking advantage of the day as well, settled on her shoulder in its Sunny form. Beldum hovered in front of her as she fed and petted it.

“You’re really pampering that Beldum.”

May looked up to see Brendan walking toward her.

“Metagross Junior has been training hard and deserves to be pampered a little”, she answered, completely straight faced. 

Brendan muttered under his breath but May only caught a part of it: “…nothing to do with…”

She choose not to ask for clarification. He flopped down on the ground near her and looked up at the sky like he was cloud watching. Maybe he was.

“…So”, Brendan said after a long and slightly awkward pause, “I heard you’re thinking of moving into a place of your own?”

“Yeah… My parents took it well enough, I think.”

“It’s going to be weird. I got used to you being my neighbor.”

May couldn’t help it. She laughed.

Brendan turned his head to look at her. “What?”

“I’ve lived in Hoenn, what? Nearly three years now and yet the longest I ever stayed in that house was those few weeks to recover from _outer space_ … It doesn’t feel like home.”

“Oh… I’ve always lived in Littleroot so…”

More awkward silence engulfed them as they both refused to acknowledge the metaphorical Dolphan standing in between them. May shifted as her Beldum settled in her lap, its eye fluttering closed. It soon drifted into a post-training and post-snack nap. Her Castform then decided that its steel companion would be more comfortable, resulting in a pokemon nap pile.

“You know…”, May started, unconsciously patting Castform’s head, “You’re still my best friend.”

A ghost of a smile crossed Brendan’s face as he sat up.

“We’ve ended up by this pond again. It’s kind of our tradition to battle here, isn’t it?”

May raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You want to battle me?”

“As a fresh start on our friendship!” He grinned then. “How about if I lose, I get to tease you about your obvious crush on Steven Stone?”

“Eeeh!” May could feel her cheeks burning. “It’s not that obvious, is it?!”

Brendan’s laugh echoed across the field, warm and bright (and completely different from her earlier laugh).

Maybe their friendship wasn’t fully patched up and rid of awkward tension yet but at that moment May knew that they’d sort everything out in time.    

* * *

The wind softly blowing through the trees, the sound of murmuring water: the atmosphere of the Southern Island was as tranquil and just a touch melancholic as May remembered.

As May walked down the familiar path, her hand curled firmly around the flute.

_Zinnia frowned at her. “You want to make a new Eon Flute?”_

_“You said that the Draconids were the ones to create them”, May answered, “Do you know how?”_

_“I do, but why? You already have the only remaining flute.”_

_“But there are supposed to be two.” May sighed. “And…I don’t think it’s fair to Latios or Steven to have given up their flute for me and Latias.”_

_“The former Champion?” Zinnia laughed. “You’re saying that guy was able to befriend Latios? I don’t believe that.”_

_May frowned. “I don’t understand what you have against Steven. I was also willing to go along with the Infinite Energy plan until you started hinting there was another way.”_

_“Whatever”, Zinnia huffed, “Fine. I’ll tell you. Then you can give it to that guy if you want. It’s not like someone without both peaceful intentions and a kind heart could ever succeed in summoning one of the Eon.”_

May entered the grove sacred to the Eon pokemon as the recollection of that conversation faded from the surface of her mind. Both Latias and Latios were already there, waiting for her on either side of the small stone-carved altar.

“So you knew I was coming for this?”

A psychic weight brushed against her mind, just enough to leave the impression of their reply. That washed away any doubts lingering on whether she should complete the flute. They wanted it as much as she did.

May then approached the altar and placed the flute she’d made down on it. (Okay, so she ended up getting a profession to do a large part of the work but she’d helped as much as possible. After all, it was supposed to be made a person who’d already befriended the Eon pokemon.)  

When Latios and Latias turned to the altar, their eyes began to glow. Psychic power encased the flute; and, then it slowly rose into the air. The entire island seemed to hold its breath as the Eon pokemons’ power and energy was gifted. It was an offer and hope of friendship between humans and pokemon.

The glow of Latios and Latias’s eyes faded as the newly minted Eon Flute floated back down onto the altar.

“Thank you”, May said as she picked the flute back up. She then reached out to pet Latios’s head. “I promise I’ll give it to Steven when he comes back to Hoenn.”

* * *

May stood at the end of the Champion’s battlefield, waiting to see if the challenger made it past the Elite Four. Nerves fluttered in her stomach as one by one the chime signaled that Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and then finally Drake had been defeated.

May gulped in anticipation, while no doubt the challenger was walking forward to face the Champion. This would be her first time battling to defend her title.

Slowly the large doors opened, and a young man walked in. He was maybe a year or two younger than May. He was also clearly tired and worn down from the previous battles but fiery determination burned in his eyes.

May found herself curious about this trainer and his journey. She didn’t recognize his face or know his name. She wondered what drove him to take on such an intense challenge. Why did he want to become Champion? The unknown and unfamiliarity between them was intriguing.

Would she find any answers in this battle?

“Welcome, trainer. You’ve done well to make it so far. You and your pokemon are exceptionally skilled and must have experienced much to reach this place.” May smiled as her nervousness evaporated. This was her field; and – like Kyogre diving the ocean depths or Rayquaza ascending the sky – May was completely within her element. “However, I have no intentions of losing.”

* * *

“Torch”, she asked afterwards, when the challenger had left with his head hanging in defeat, “Do you remember the last time we lost?”

“Blaz?” Her Blaziken replied, titling its head.

“It’s just… I’m glad we won. I’m nowhere near ready to give up my title yet… But I just realized that I don’t remember when the last time I lost a battle was.”

* * *

(The answer she found was that, despite all her heartache, the biggest reason she missed Steven Stone was not because she was in love with him.)


End file.
